Marvel Rivals review

pcgamer.com:

It seems like every moment of my spare time nowadays is spent in a hero shooter. When I'm not fighting for my life in Valorant, I'm doing the same thing in Overwatch 2. So the last thing I need is a hero shooter I actually enjoy and will, therefore, carve more time out of my day playing it: enter Marvel Rivals.

What is it? A third-person hero shooter in which you play as various Marvel heroes in teams of six.

Release date December 5, 2024

Expect to pay Nothing

Developer NetEase Games

Publisher NetEase Games

Reviewed on RTX 3070, Core AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, 16GB RAM

Multiplayer Yes

Steam Deck Verified

Link Steam

I didn't expect Marvel Rivals to get its grips into me so quickly, but I'm having a good time feeling out the kits of its 33 launch heroes divided into three classes: vanguard, duelist, and strategist (tank, DPS, and Support), every one of which also includes unique 'team-up' abilities activated by building the right team composition. I've been maining Hawkeye, which I am ashamed to admit, considering how strong he is right now, and that's not even considering Black Widow's team-up ability, which gives him a 20% damage boost.

It's always fun to go through the wringer with a new hero shooter, especially at the chaotic beginnings. At first, I found it hard to recognise who was hitting you and where. I spent a lot of my time getting shot in the back by Moon Knight's Ankh, which he can set down and then reflect projectiles off. It doesn't matter if you're behind a wall or can't even see Moonknight—he'll find a way to get to you.

Eventually, I was able to pick up on the sound Moonknight's Ankh made when it reflected darts, and it became second nature to destroy it before trying to run for cover. There are loads of these little learning curves to master, many of which will feel familiar for Overwatch vets.

There's nothing quite like reflexively sleeping an enemy Scarlet Witch with Mantis before she ults or pushing away a diving Wolverine without a second thought before